My friend Arlene and I have a Yelp! bucket list that we like to attend to about two times a month, minimum. Considering it’s the 4th of July, hot dogs or cheeseburgers were a must, and Jocas was at the top of the list, so off to Lafayette Village we went. I mean, look at these Dawgs 🙂

Raleigh can seem so tiny, but yet so huge. My Yelp! bucket list grows each week, and it’s an amazing and delicious challenge to try and get to all of the restaurants this city has to offer.

We went to lunch on Monday July 3rd and it was slower than usual because of the holiday. Which, turns out, is great when you plan on doing a photoshoot before devouring all the Dawgs!

The outside and inside of Joca’s is very simple and straightforward. The menu is handwritten and hung on boards on the wall, and changes from time to time. (He was still finishing the boards when we arrived, so the Sweet Treats board was the only one up at the time.)

I respect, love, and appreciate small and simple operations that produce large and powerful menus. I also loved the Coca-Cola cooler full of glass soda bottles; took me immediately back to my childhood.

Let’s talk about these Dawgs!

My first instinct and immediate thought was; ORDER EVERYTHING ON THE MENU!!! Taking into consideration that ordering all the Dawgs probably wasn’t in our best interest, we went with our top 3 choices; The Campfire Dawg, The Mexi-Corn Dawg, and The Philly Cheese Dawg.

The Campfire Dawg was everything you dream a hot dog should taste like. Nothing says Happy Birthday America!, like a Hot Dog wrapped in Bacon, smothered in Baked Beans, Queso, Joca’s Smoked Ale Mustard, Joca’s Chipotle & Honey Ketchup, and Sweet Relish. OH MY DAWG! This little tiny, enormous beast had so much flavor is was like getting punched in the face, but in a good way!

(Side note; the Campfire Dawg comes with sweet relish but if you prefer a different relish, just ask because they have both!)

The Mexi-Corn Dawg is unrealistic. It almost seems illegal by all rules of a good hot dog. First, I have never tried or wanted to try, lettuce on my dog. Second, I’ve never thought to put a corn dog in a tortilla, alongside veggies and cheese, and call it a day. I’ve been doing it all wrong. Life is so much better with corn dogs inside tortillas, covered in cheese, and smothered with veggies. Do not ever turn your nose up to a corn dog in a tortilla, trust me.

I have to be honest, this picture makes me want to lick the computer screen. I mean, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! This dog will change the way you think about dogs. On this glorious fire grilled tortilla, they layered a mixture of chopped lettuce, green onions, and freshly diced tomatoes, then topped it with an All Beef Frankfurter Encrusted with Sweet Corn Kernels, served it with a combination of Cojita and Queso Cheeses, and drizzled it with Chipotle Mayo. This is a real thing, and it exists in the world, and it happened to me yesterday!!!

It also came with Lime wedges because, why not? 🙂 I hope I have been able to express to all of you, just how enjoyable this particular dog was. What an experience! If you go to Joca’s and try this dog, make sure to tag #JocasDawgs and #ColdBeerMeatSweats because, I want to hear all about it!!

The Philly Cheese Dawg is a game changer. I feel as if I’ve been to quite a few hot dog shops in my day, and no one has ever offered me sliced hot dogs, in the form of a Philly Sandwich. And now that someone has, I don’t know why all other hot dog shops wouldn’t follow suit?! I wasn’t sure what to expect, it was a love it or leave it type of situation for me, and I absolutely loved it!

The mixture of the sliced and grilled hot dogs with onions and peppers, Jocas Hot Pepper Relish, and melted cheeses on a Amoroso Hoagie Roll, was phenomenal. I know I wrote how amazing and delicious all of these dogs were but, in this case, I saved the best for last. If you don’t go with a friend, or just want to try one at a time, this is the one I would try. It’s so different, and the flavors and creativity dance around your mouth like… the Macarena on your tongue!!

Unfortunately, we were too full to try a milkshake, or a piece of their “Million Dollar Pie” but, we will be back my friends, we will be back! Also, I love this sign, it makes me so happy!

Lafayette Village has so much to offer! This place is such a beautiful and fun area, and is perfect for the whole family! (Click on the Lafayette Village link above to go to their website!)